Establishment and evaluation of a smoking cessation clinic in Hong Kong: A model for the future service provider

Background: In the West, the effectiveness of smoking cessation programmes is well established. Smoking cessation programmes in the East are rare. We evaluated a pilot smoking cessation health centre (SCHC) of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH). Methods: The clinic operated 3 days a week from 6 to 9 pm. Smokers were recruited mainly by low cost publicity. Trained counsellors provided individual counselling and a 1 week free supply of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The programme was evaluated in terms of process, outcome and cost. Results: During August 2000 to January 2002, 2212 calls were received through the clinic hotline and 1203 smokers attended the clinic. Eight hundred and forty-one were successfully followed up at 12 months. Based on intention-to-treat analysis, the 7 day point prevalence quit rate at 12 months (not smoking any cigarette during the past 7 days at the 12 month follow-up) was 27 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, CI 25-30 per cent). The average cost per quitter was US$339 (US$440 including NRT cost for a 1 week free supply). Other benefits included training of healthcare workers and medical students, organization of seminars, health talks and self-help groups, and promotion of research and training. Conclusions: This first evaluation of a clinic-based smoking cessation service in Asia showed that the service was acceptable to Chinese smokers. The quit rate in this pilot part-time clinic is comparable to those of full-time and better funded clinics in the West. A part-time smoking cessation clinic is a promising model for piloting smoking cessation services in the East.